2017 May Enews

Mid Year Appeal

The Society has made great progress so far this year. You can help us keep up the pace and continue our important work by donating to the Mid Year Appeal today! Your 100% tax-deductible gift will help us continue with advancing and promoting the study, research and appreciation of numismatics, while providing an array of programs and services suitable for all coin enthusiasts. Learn about our accomplishment and how you can help in our appeal letter.

“The State Coinages of the Confederation Era, 1785–1788,” Money Talks at the ANS

The June Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations will feature Ray Williams, ANS Fellow, who will present “The State Coinages of the Confederation Era, 1785–1788.” The coins issued by the authority of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey will be discussed, along with the economic climate bringing them into existence, the people involved, and the minting operations. How these coins are collected by modern numismatists will be touched upon. Mr. Williams is currently Vice President of the New Jersey Numismatic Society, and past President of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club.

RSVP for this lecture, which takes place on Saturday, June 10, 2017, at the American Numismatic Society. Lunch begins at 1:00 pm, followed by the lecture at 2:00 pm, and a Q&A at 3:00 pm. The ANS will remain open from 12:00 noon until 4:00 pm.

Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations is supported by an ANS endowment fund generously given in honor of Dr. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli and Mrs. Elvira Clain-Stefanelli.

New Feature and Translations for OCRE

The ANS has a new interface for Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE), which allows users, free of charge, to browse Roman Imperial coins by image, enabling the comparison of coins in personal collections to specimens in OCRE. The “Identify a Coin” interface includes filters to search by portrait, material, and legends, which offers an easy way into one of the most complete depictions of numismatic Imperial portraiture online. Ethan Gruber, ANS Director of Data Science, with the help of OCRE volunteers, has also added translations for Hungarian, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Danish languages. More languages will be added for increased usage as well, and will be applied to other platforms such as PELLA and CRRO. Read more in the press release and Pocket Change blog.

Computer Aided Die Study Program

With a substantial donation from Prof. Josiah Ober, Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University, the Computer Aided Die Study (CADS) project is experiencing a resurgence, and will have a beta version released by the end of this year. This die study project will aid in generating quantifiable data through die and hoard studies, enabling a greater understanding of a state’s fiscal and monetary policies, and how mints operated as government institutions, factories, and how they developed production processes to meet demand.

Learn more about this exciting project in the ANS’s Pocket Change blog.

Twitter Milestone

The Society’s Twitter account, @anscoins, now has over 5,000 followers. This milestone bodes well for our mission of promoting and advancing the study, research, and appreciation of numismatics while increasing communication about our progress on social media platforms. @anscoins is frequently updated with a variety of numismatic posts, including Society program updates and accomplishments, new publications, events and items from the ANS’s regularly updated, award-winning blog Pocket Change. If you are on Twitter and currently do not follow the Society, please put @anscoins on your feed.

Membership Renewals

Did you know that the ANS is offering a discount on membership when you renew for 2017 and 2018 at the same time? Renew today and you will receive two years of member benefits at the 2017 rate. When you renew, you will ensure you receive the ANS Magazine, free access to our library, consultations with our curators, discounts on publications, a reduced rate to our Money Talks lecture series, and invitations to special events. Renew online or contact the Membership Department at (212) 571-4470 ext. 117.

Summer Seminar 2017

The 63rd annual Eric P. Newman Graduate Seminar in Numismatics will begin on Monday, June 5, 2017. The intensive eight-week course provides select graduate students with the opportunity to work hands-on with the ANS staff and its preeminent collections while learning the methods, theories and history of numismatics. Taught by ANS staff with guest lecturers, this year the Society will welcome Dr. Thomas Faucher, a specialist in ancient coin production and Ptolemaic coinages, as the Visiting Scholar.

Update on Staff

Catherine DiTuri, in the Society’s Membership Department, will be leaving the ANS after two and a half years to embark on an opportunity closer to her home. Although she was physically in the office only two days per week, many of our members have met or communicated with her, as she attended the NYINC shows, ANA and Whitman conferences, and ANS events including the Annual Galas and lectures. She will greatly miss everyone involved with the ANS, from the staff to the Board to the members, and is so very thankful for the time and learning experiences she had with the Society.

Emma Pratte, whom you may have seen participating in the Annual Galas as a photographer and auction volunteer, will take the position of Membership Assistant. She studied photography at Parsons and started working for the ANS in 2014. Emma’s projects include photographing coins for OCRE, the RBW collection, and the Hellenistic Royal coinage project, and she assisted with a die study of the fleet coinage of Marc Antony. Emma will be in the office five days per week and will assist and attend a variety of Society events and numismatic conventions, in addition to the responsibilities of membership.

The Art of Devastation Review by NYRB

The New York Review of Books published “The Disasters of War” by James Fenton in the May 25, 2017 issue, which included a review of the ANS publication, The Art of Devastation: Medals and Posters of the Great War. Read the review and purchase the publication and full-color catalogue with essays published jointly by the ANS and the Loeb Art Center.

AJN Volume 28 Delivery Issue

If you were a Full Associate or above in 2016 and did not receive your copy of the American Journal of Numismatics, Volume 28, please contact membership@numismatics.org or (212) 571-4470 ext. 117. Editions will be re-mailed in early June. We appreciate your response and patience.

Upcoming Events

Presentation at Sorbonne

Dr. Gilles Bransbourg, ANS Associate Curator, will discuss “Church and Taxation During Late Antiquity: Serving God or Man,” as part of two day presentation on Taxation and Religion from Antiquity to Present at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Dr. Bransbourg’s presentation will cover the early Christian period (4th-6th centuries). The event will be held from June 15-16, 2017.

Conference in Rome on Antiquarianism and Numismatics

Dr. Ute Wartenberg, ANS Executive Director, will be attending a conference on Numismatic Antiquarianism through Correspondences (16th-18th centuries). The event, organized by François de Callataÿ, will occur in Rome from May 31 - June 1, 2017, at the Academia Belgica. Dr. Wartenberg will present “The English Tradition of Archaeological Hoard Recording in 17th century England.” For more information visit http://incnews.org/2017/04/01/finaconferencemay2017/.

International Conference in Israel

Dr. Elena Stolyarik, ANS Collections Manager, will present “Coin Finds and Monetary Interaction between the Scythian Kingdom of the Dobrudja and the Greek Cities of the West Pontic Region,” during the Money on the Margins: Coinage, Forms and Strategies of Intercultural Commerce on the Black Sea Shore in the Classical and Hellenistic Eras international conference. The conference, organized by the Israel Science Foundation and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, will be held in Zichron Yaakov, Israel from June 18-22, 2017.

Conference on Persia in Cracow

ANS members are welcome to attend “Coinage in Imperial Space. Continuity or Change from the Acheamenid to Hellenistic Kingdoms,” a conference organized by the Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University, the National Museum in Cracow and the University of Oxford. The event will take place from June 28 to July 2, 2017 in Cracow, Poland. Dr. Peter van Alfen, ANS Margaret Thompson Curator, and Dr. Ute Wartenberg, ANS Executive Director, will present papers at this event. You can find more information about the event and things to do in Cracow during your stay at www.coinageinimperialspace.org.

“The Art of Photographing Coins,” Money Talks at the ANS

On Saturday, July 15, Alan Roche, the Society’s photographer, will present “The Art of Photographing Coins” as part of the Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations series. Mr. Roche will consider the various aspects involved in the production of high-resolution images of coins and banknotes. A hands-on photographic demonstration will be included.

Please RSVP for this lecture, which will take place on Saturday, July 15, 2017, at the American Numismatic Society. Lunch begins at 1:00 pm, followed by the lecture at 2:00 pm, and a Q&A at 3:00 pm. The ANS will remain open from 12:00 noon until 4:00 pm.

Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations is supported by an ANS endowment fund generously given in honor of Dr. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli and Mrs. Elvira Clain-Stefanelli.

Recent Events

Lecture at the American University of Beirut

“Weights, Scales, and Coinage in Ancient Times,” was the presentation given by ANS Trustee and First Vice President, David Hendin, at the American University of Beirut (AUB). The lecture, offered by AUB’s Department of History and Archaeology, took place on April 25, 2017.

Guided Tour at the Grolier Club

The exhibit “Images of Value: The Artwork Behind U.S. Security Engraving, 1830s–1980s” featured items from the collection of Mark Tomasko, ANS Trustee and Fellow, on the Ground Floor Gallery of the Grolier Club in New York City. The exhibit ran through April 29, 2017.

Central States Convention

Dr. Ute Wartenberg, ANS Executive Director, attended the 78th Anniversary Convention of the Central States Numismatic Society in Schaumburg, IL, where she greeted members, friends and members of the numismatic community. The event ran from April 26-29, 2017.

Harry W. Fowler Memorial Lecture

On Monday, May 1, 2017, the ANS held the Harry W. Fowler Memorial Lecture, which featured Prof. Phillip Wagoner, Professor of Art History and Archaeology at Wesleyan University, who presented “The Deccan as an Integrated Currency Zone: New Approaches to the Study of Peninsular Indian Coin Hoards (1347–1687).” The lecture will soon be available on the ANS YouTube page.

“Signs of Inflation,” Money Talks Lecture

Dr. Gilles Bransbourg, ANS Associate Curator, presented “Signs of Inflation” during the Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations interactive seminar series on May 6, 2017. Discussion included how inflation translates into coinage debasement and banknotes bearing large denominations, from ancient Rome to modern Zimbabwe, and was followed by a question and answer session. Attendees enjoyed lunch prior to the event, and were able to view and handle pertinent examples from the Society’s collection.

ANS in Kalamazoo

“How Are Economic Resources Transformed into Power,” a presentation by David Yoon, ANS Associate Curator, discussed how different systems of funding political structures shape and constrain governing institutions. Yoon made the presentation during the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan on May 14, 2017.

Colloquium in Berlin

Dr. Peter van Alfen, ANS Margaret Thompson Curator, presented “Assembling Numismatic Data Online: Concepts, Collections, and Collaboration” at a colloquium to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Münzkabinett’s work on the digitization of its collections and to celebrate the launch of a new project, Network of University Coin Collections in Germany (NUMiD). The event occurred on May 20, 2017.

Advertise in the Award-Winning ANS Magazine

Support the ANS by advertising in the award-winning quarterly ANS Magazine. The ad deadline for issue no. 3 of 2017 is July 13, 2017. For more information about advertising rates and specs, visit the advertising page or contact Joanne Isaac, Museum Administrator, at magazine@numismatics.org or (212) 571-4470 ext. 112.

Sponsor the ANS E-news

If you or your company would like to sponsor future issues of the ANS E-news, please contact Joanne Isaac, Museum Administrator, at (212) 571-4470 ext. 112 or jisaac@numismatics.org.